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Zuko
Fire Lord Zuko is a firebending master, born as a prince in the Fire Nation Royal Family. His story often paralleled that of Avatar Aang. Initially Team Avatar's primary enemy, Zuko's life revolved around trying to capture the long-lost Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Zuko is easily recognized by the distinctive scar on the left side of his face. Given to him by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, shortly before his banishment, it was the result of an incident in which he disrespected his father by speaking out of turn and refusing to duel him. With support from his uncle, Iroh, and after much internal struggle and turmoil, Zuko rejected Ozai's Fire Nation and joined the Avatar's group to become Aang's friend and his firebending teacher in an effort to restore his as well as the Fire Nation's honor. While Aang defeated Ozai, Zuko, with the help of Katara, defeated his prodigious younger sister Princess Azula and took his place as Fire Lord, declaring the end of the Hundred Year War and the start of an era of love and peace. He eventually retired from being Fire Lord and gave the position to his daughter. Zuko is the first born child (83 ASC) of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa. From a young age, he was disdained by his father and the object of his sister Azula's manipulation, ridicule, and deception. His mother, however, loved and favored him over his sister.[5] At some point in his childhood, Piandao trained him in the use of dual dao swords.[8] When Zuko was eleven years old, his cousin, Lu Ten, died while away at war. General Iroh, devastated by the loss of his only child, abandoned his 600 day siege of the Earth Kingdom capital city, Ba Sing Se. During an audience with Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai showed off Azula's prodigious firebending skill and knowledge of military s trategy, both outstripping Zuko's. Azulon was unimpressed by these exercises and demanded Ursa and her children leave and Ozai be frank about his reasons for wanting the audience. Azula and Zuko eavesdropped on their conversation as Ozai voiced his desire to be made heir in Iroh's place, justifying this course of action by pointing out that Iroh's overwhelming grief and subsequent erratic behavior made the date of his return from war uncertain and he had no remaining heirs to carry on his line. Azulon, however, was outraged and declared angrily that Iroh had suffered enough, but Ozai's suffering had just begun.[5] http://images.wikia.com/avatar/images/0/0f/Ursa_hugs_Zuko.pngUrsa embracing Zuko before her mysterious disappearance.Frightened, Zuko ran away while Azula stayed to watch. Later, he was in his room trying to sleep when she came in and mockingly told him that Azulon's punishment for Ozai is that Ozai must kill Zuko, as he wanted him to know what it felt like to lose a first-born child. Ursa, hearing the commotion, came in and took Azula away, declaring it was time that they talked. Zuko, left behind, chanted quietly to himself, "Azula always lies." Later, he was awakened again, but this time by his mother. She told her sleepy son everything that she had done, she did for him, and instructed him not to forget who he was no matter how much things may change. The next morning, he immediately remembered what transpired the night before and ran frantically through the halls searching for his mother. He found Azula, who blithely told him Azulon died the previous night and their mother was missing. As she played with his pearl dagger (a gift from his Uncle Iroh), she mocked him and noted their mother was not there to make her give it back. Eventually, he found Ozai in the gardens of the palace and demanded to know where Ursa was. Ozai did not answer and he hung his head in sorrow. At Azulon's funeral, the sage conducting the ceremony named Ozai the new Fire Lord upon Azulon's dying request.[5] http://images.wikia.com/avatar/images/6/60/Zuko_beg.pngZuko pleading to his father for forgiveness.Years later, Iroh allowed a persistent, thirteen-year-old Zuko into a war council with Ozai and some of his generals. He ignored Iroh's instructions not to speak during the meeting when one general outlined a plan to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits in a diversionary maneuver. He fiercely disagreed with this, seeing it as a betrayal of the recruits' patriotism. The insubordinate outburst was seen as a grave insult and Ozai demanded that he participate in an Agni Kai. He agreed, unaware he would face his father, not the general he insulted. Upon turning to face his opponent, he was immediately penitent and knelt, refusing to fight, and tearfully begged for his father's forgiveness. Ozai declared his refusal a sign of cowardice and another display of disrespect, affirming that "he will learn respect, and suffering will be his teacher."[9] Ozai burned Zuko (permanently scarring the left side of his face), stripped him of his birthright, and exiled him from his beloved homeland, declaring that he could only return if he was able to find and capture the Avatar, who disappeared one hundred years before. It was a fool's errand by all accounts (because if the Avatar had disappeared, there would be no point in searching for him), but one Zuko clung onto desperately as his only hope of regaining his honor and everything he had lost.[9] Zuko spent the next three years at sea, fruitlessly and desperately searching for the Avatar. He searched the four air temples, beginning with the Western Air Temple, and scoured the world, searching even the most remote locations for his prize.[6] Iroh accompanied Zuko during his exile, and the pair spent more than two years at sea with a small ship and crew. They were not royal guards or special forces and may well have been banished themselves, or were foolishly intent on serving under the popular General Iroh. They were often unhappy under Zuko but obeyed his orders.[9] Iroh often considered the search an extended vacation. Abilities Bending *Firebending *Redirecting Lightning Weapons Dual dao Swords Zuko_firebending.png|Zuko Firebending Zuko_augmenting_fire.png|Zuko Firebending Zuko_redirects_lightning.png|Zuko Redirecting Ozai's Lighning Zuko_with_his_swords.png|Zuko with his Dual dao Swords Fights Appeared Tournaments Appeared Medals Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Male Characters Category:Heroes Category:Teens Category:Avatar: The Last Airbender Category:Avatar: The Legend of Korra Category:Humans Category:Benders Category:Team Avatar (ATLA) Members Category:Firebenders Category:Protagonists Category:Main characters (ATLA) Category:Major characters (ATLA)